A promising start. Yesterday, the NY Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 in the 10th inning. Despite their 8th loss of the past 12 games, the Pirates have reason to be hopeful. They called up pitcher Jameson Taillon from the minors and he showed potential. Does that name sound familiar? He was picked 2nd in the 2010 MLB Draft right behind Bryce Harper. He was a top prospect but his major league debut was delayed because of Tommy John surgery and a hernia. Someone he shouldn’t take pointers from… check out this hilariously bad first pitch from Snoop Dogg at the San Diego Padres game last night.

Seen and Heard

TENNIS

Game. Set. Match. Appeal. Maria Sharapova has been suspended from tennis for 2 years, after she tested positive for a banned drug called meldonium. Sharapova is appealing the decision. She thinks the suspension is a wee bit harsh considering the tribunal decided that she didn’t take the banned drug intentionally. Then why did she take it? Sharapova says she took the drug for 10 years because of a family history of heart issues and diabetes, but many Eastern European athletes use it to increase blood flow and endurance. She and her team must have missed the 5 memos from WADA about updating the banned substance list. Under the suspension, Sharapova won’t be able to compete again until the 2018 Australian Open, when she will be 31 years old. It’s not a career death sentence, after all Serena Williams is 34, but Sharapova is way less hearty than Serena and has suffered from many shoulder injuries.

NFL

Advanced negotiation skills. The Denver Broncos are still trying to iron out a deal with their star linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. The Broncos already used their franchise tag on him, which means he has to stay with the team no matter what for at least 1 more season, but both sides want to work out a longer-term deal by the July 15 deadline. What’s the problem? Money, of course. So far the Broncos have offered a 6-year, $114.5M contract and Miller said, No deal.Your move, Denver.

$PORT$ AND MONEY

Dropping dimes! Yesterday, Forbes released its annual list of the highest earning athletes. LeBron James is #3 on the list earning a cool $77M from his basketball contract and endorsements. But soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi topped the list, again proving that soccer is the world’s favorite sport. Even famous ladies earn 77 cents on the dollar. Serena Williams was the highest paid female athlete, appearing at #40 on the list. She dethroned Maria Sharapova, who was the highest paid female athlete for 11 straight years but recently lost some endorsements because of the whole drug suspension thing.

Hot Read

NHL

Stanley Cup Finals Game 5—San Jose Sharks @ Pittsburgh Penguins, the Penguins lead the series 3-1. This is a tough must-win situation for the Sharks, who are playing in their Stanley Cup finals debut. 8pm ET on NBC